This is a special New Years edition of the blog, and is another lesson from my travels to Morocco. This is the third in a series of three about peace. I won’t pretend to say that I won’t talk about peace again, because honestly, that is what my coaching is all about.

We had the privilege of going deep into a ksar and visit a family in their home, because Radounne, our guide, had done his research for his Masters degree in this town. He still had a relationship with this family.

A ksar is a Berber fortified village. The architecture is much like that of the pueblo people here in the southwest –  a maze of connected homes made of thick adobe walls, multiple stories, central courtyards, work space on the rooftops and no indoor plumbing, although they do have electricity.

The people were extremely welcoming and proud of their home.

They had a few important things, such as a silver tea service, some family photos and beautiful hand crafted functional items.

They really had very little.

They were happy. I believe that they were genuinely happy.

That really struck me, and later, we wondered out loud – as we do – how that could be.

Rad said simply, “They have everything they need.”

Hmmm. I took that in and realized that it is another key to personal peace.

We want and aspire. That’s a good thing, because that is how we grow and create and invent and change.

Sometimes we get “want” and “need” confused. We think we “need” something we don’t yet have, and that thought makes us feel discontent and unhappy (or perhaps guilty or deprived or…). And then we struggle.

That is another conflict that isn’t necessary.

We can remind ourselves that we have everything we truly need today. We can settle into that peaceful thought and build a foundation.

Then, from that foundation of peace we can aspire, challenge, create and achieve – instead of struggle.

So as you set your goals for 2019 or create your New Years resolutions, pay attention to the wording, and watch how it makes a difference. Try playing with the idea that you don’t NEED to do anything. But what you want to do, what you aspire to do, that’s a different thing altogether!

If the idea of changing up how you set your goals intrigues you and you want to talk about it, post something in the comments, send me an email or schedule a free goal setting session with me.

Remember: in all things – progress, not perfection!

Love and light,

*****

This is often a time for setting goals for the new year. If you’re interested in tackling a big goal for yourself, and you want to try a different approach, email me (maggie@talktomaggie.com) or schedule a free mini session with me (here). A mini session is a short coaching session, where we can talk about the noise that’s holding you back and what you can do about it. We can set you up to succeed without struggling!

If a mini session isn’t vibing with you right now, but you still want more, you can check out more blogs on my new website www.maggiehuffman.com